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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hide · safe · can · wound · clip · bat · bulb · racket

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. clip — a video
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bulb — for light
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wound — an injury
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com